Kanjorski Trumpets Aid To Credit-poor Farmers

Speaking before a full chamber, the congressman blamed the farm crisis on falling land and crop prices and record high interest rates.

"Farmers are struggling to meettheir daily operating expenses, much less the principal and interest on bank loans they took out to finance the purchase of their farms," Kanjorski said.

The Emergency Farm Credit Act cleared the Democrat-dominated House by a 318-103 vote.

According to Kanjorski, the measure would enable an estimated 15 percent of the American family farmers, who might otherwise fail as a result of cash flow problems, to keep their farms operating until the end of the growing season when their revenues come in.

"It is important to note that what we are approving today is not an outright grant to the farmers," he said, "but all that we are providing for are temporary loans and loan guarantees, all of which will be repaid with interest when the crops are harvested."

Though Pennsylvania is known as an industrial state, more than 135,000 of its residents earn their living by farming, Kanjorski said.

Referring to his home seven-county district, he said Columbia, Luzerne and surrounding counties have more than 3,000 farms that produce more than $62 million in crops.